Nintendo's the only one not surprised by this. They didn't have a single major release, save for maybe Wii Sports Resort (which came out when, 2 days ago?), this year. By Christmas they'll release New Super Mario Bros. Wii and next year brings Mario Galaxy 2, possibly a Wii fit expansion or whatever they're doing with the pulse sensor, and lo and behold, those months will do ridiculously well for the Wii, and the year afterward, on the same month, analysts will worry about Nintendo's downfall when the sales aren't as high due to a lack of major titles.

It's the same dumb shit with Hollywood. Half a dozen studios release films in June with quarter-of-a-billion budgets+marketing campaigns and when all of those types of films don't come out 'till August the next year, there's an article about how the film industry is failing, all because it's easier to make up "Sky is falling" predictions than to actually wait a whole fucking fiscal year and take into account the number major releases that hit a particular year.

Games and film have 2-3-year production cycles, and many times projects get delayed. The money still comes in (albiet with a higher cost due to the delay, which, for better companies, tend to result in more revenue for a better product), but as it doesn't come in steadily, it gives "analysts" plenty of fuel to predict doom whenever there is none.

Business types pick the subject matter they think will sell, then the platform(s) that give them the market size they want to sell into, and then they hire/invest in some development team to produce their product. Rarely do they give a half-shit if it's easy or not to develop unless it's sufficiently difficult to develop for a particular platform that it will cause a competitor to beat them to market.

When you're talking about something as complex as a game engine, saying that the PS3 is harder to develop for than the 360, while perhaps technically true, you need to take that in context. In terms of overall project difficulty, it's only a small percentage more difficult to develop for one platform over the other.

You would be hard pressed to find even a single major title out there that was developed for one console or the other because of difficulty. The big studios are either making cross-platform titles, or they're making an exclusive based on a business deal (not based on the difficulty to develop).

There are several console games that were delayed to the ps3 because it was so hard to develop to. Grand Theft Auto 4 and Unreal 3 are the first to come to mind,

They were delayed because they were sloppy ports from the 360. If you target the 360 and then try to shoehorn the code into the PS3, the results aren't great. Compare it to PS3 exclusives like InFamous, Metal Gear Solid, Killzone 2 etc and you'll see much better results.

and there's also the fact that Valve refuse to develop for the Ps3 because of

any games development house using OpenGL ES in a production game are going to seriously suffer... it just isn't fully featured or has the performance required.

Graphics engines used by low-budget games don't need to be fully featured or high performance; they just need to work. A lot of games on Xbox 360's marketplace could have been made for the original Xbox, but there just wasn't an app store on that platform. Likewise, I'm guessing that some PS3 games on PSN could have been done on the PS2 except that PSN was never made available for PS2.

(Speaking as a person who works in a games software development house that devs for Xbox/Xbox 360/PS2/PS3/Wii/PC. )

What platform did this software development house's first title run on, and what are the steps from PC development to becomi

It just don't have the horsepower needed for top games and since they want to release on pc at the same time, they can't really make two versions with huge differences inbetween.

They can make a version for Wii and a version for low-end PCs with an Intel GMA chip. That would especially appeal to people who own laptop computers or older desktop computers. In fact, a laptop can be carried into the living room and connected to the TV through a VGA cable.

But the Wii is going to be -much- more powerful than the laptop. Even on an "inactive" system, there are hundreds of tiny processes going on, polling hardware, etc. the Wii is more or less truly single tasking. Plus, the code can be very optimized for the Wii.

Wii's CPU is a PowerPC G3 clocked at 0.73 GHz, and it has less than about 91 MB of RAM+VRAM. The cheapest new laptop is a $300 Eee PC with an Atom CPU clocked over twice that and ten times as much RAM. Besides, I understood Albert Sandberg's comment to mean that publishers don't consider Wii-to-PC ports because a PC is so much more powerful than a Wii, not less powerful.

Even on an "inactive" system, there are hundreds of tiny processes going on, polling hardware, etc. the Wii is more or less truly single tasking.

Do "hundreds of tiny processes" take up half the CPU and nine-tenths of the RAM, even on the version of Windows XP loaded on these low-end

Which strangely wasn't an issue when everybody was making games for the PS2 which is weaker than the Wii...

Because the technology gaps between the PS2, GC, and Xbox were far less substantial than the gap between the PS3/Xbox360 and the Wii, which is nearly a generation behind in terms of raw horsepower. There's a significant difference between porting a game between roughly equivalent systems and porting to a platform vastly different than the original games. It generally means that most of the assets must either be re-created or altered substantially, and that costs a lot of money.

It just don't have the horsepower needed for top games and since they want to release on pc at the same time, they can't really make two versions with huge differences inbetween.

You mean like what happened with Tomb Raider: Underworld? Quite a bit was cut from the Wii version, and in some areas it still struggled and lagged. Just started playing it on the PS3, its almost not even the same game.

I just got a PS3, and it certainly seems like the library has largely caught up to the xbox, which is STILL havin

"Meanwhile, Sony is feeling the pain as well; the company sold 500,000 fewer PS3 consoles than in the previous quarter, and PSP sales saw an even bigger drop. Interestingly, Sony also revealed that the manufacturing cost of the PS3 has now dropped 70% since it was released."

That's just weird. I suppose that everyone who wants a PS3 has bought one. Similarly, I notice Ford has not sold many Model T cars recently.

Poor Sony, not selling as many, but making more money, because the cost has dropped to one-

Actually Sony took higher losses [gamesindustry.biz]. It might not be only from losses on PS3 sales but operating losses went from 4.6 billion yen to 39.7 billion yen for the PlayStation division year-on-year. Software sales were down from 22.8 million to 14.8 million so it's not just hardware that's declining.

If I hadn't already bought a Wii, I wouldn't buy one either. I'm disappointed with the game line up. 3 years have passed and I can name 3 games that I'm glad I bought. I can also name off a dozen names I deeply regret having ever bought/rented.

Back in the 80s and 90s, any schmuck could decide to go make a game. With enough dedication and talent, he could really make something awesome, too. I mean one day Robyn and Rand Miller decided to sit down and make a game. And that game (Myst) was the best selling game for the better part of a decade.

Now, it takes millions of dollars for the spoiled consumer to even *consider* playing a game. So now we see less and less games being made by the inspired and talented, and more and more games being made by corporate committee.

As time marches on, I have a feeling we'll see a (relative) dieing out of the multimillion game and the rise of the $10-20 household device game. (Cellphones and computers to be specific.) It takes inspiration and talent to make a good game, not millions of dollars of art assets.

I've been sort-a temped to get a Wii Fit, but I already pay for a $60 gym membership that I use about 3x a week. Kinda defeats the purpose of buying one. Plus the WiiFit is no fun if nobody if you're single and nobody can see you sweat. [Best place to pickup a date short of inter-office dating]

3 years into the Wii the only game I really liked playing was the Wii bowling in WiiSports, which came with the unit.

I also use a really nice DLP HDTV projector for games and movies, and I can

I also use a really nice DLP HDTV projector for games and movies, and I cannot tell you what a PITA it is to set up that IR bar underneath the projector image in the front side of my living room but yet have the Wii sit in the back of the room where the projector and my amp sits. I have to disconnect everything when I'm done or my dog will trip over all the wires.

Wireless IR bars have been available a few weeks after the Wii launch. Those really solve the issue with Wii + Hometheater.

The bar does no actual communication with the Wii, just gets power from there.

I bought a Wii Fit. It counts as one of the games that I deeply regret. While it was kind of fun at first, it takes FOREVER to do a work out. This is literally how it goes.

1) Choose a game.2) Yay! You picked a game! Do you want to learn how to play that game?3) No? Ok, well here's a nifty animation for you!4) 20 seconds of workout5) Oh no! You suck, your a fatty, hehehe. Here's a nifty animation showing you lose, loser.6) Oh my goodness, you scored a high score, let me show you!7) Wow, we spent like... 5

I also use a really nice DLP HDTV projector for games and movies, and I cannot tell you what a PITA it is to set up that IR bar underneath the projector image in the front side of my living room but yet have the Wii sit in the back of the room where the projector and my amp sits.

I've been told the IR bar is just two or three LEDs, it does not send any information back to the the Wii system. The information provided by the IR bar is simply "here is the screen", provided to the WiiMote. The connection to the Wii is just a voltage to power the LEDs.

Plus the WiiFit is no fun if nobody if you're single and nobody can see you sweat. [Best place to pickup a date short of inter-office dating]

This works fine, if you're in shape to begin with.

Nobody's going to want to date the fattie with huge sweat pits under their arms and loose long sleeved t-shirt and baggy pants that we use to cover up with. And even fewer than that wants to date the fattie who dresses in tight lycra and sweats profusely.

I saw this comment and I have to address some things. Only because I've realized not a lot of people actually are not aware of some some things:

1) To address you picking up people, if someone is unattractive outside of the gym, women won't talk to them either. Unfortunately, that's just how it is and there is nothing u can do about it. And ask yourself this: would you say "NO" to a sweaty, hot woman asking u out? Of course u would say yes. The sweating doesn't matter.

I just said that I used to be the chubby guy--as you say you were. I never said I worried about other people looking at me at the gym. I don't--never did. And as a side note, I don't care how my physique looks for other people--I only care about the results and the aesthetics of it, for myself--kinda like a person who plays an RPG to get the better/more powerful armor/sword/etc, or a sculptor molding an object out of clay. And FYI I've seen a good number of chubby girls going out with a good-looking guys.

5) Believe it or not, you WANT to workout next to Ms. Fitness champ. They know so much advice to give you, their motivation is glowing and contagious, and generally people at that level are the most down-to-earth humble people you will meet *anywhere*.

Oh, and shes likely hot, good to look at, and even if she's not training you, you can use her for motivation. I.e., maybe you'll work harder so you'll get into shape so you think you can have a shot with her. Hell, you may impress her simply with the amount

I hate to break this to you, but most people don't give a fuck that you're there, unless you're using equipment they want. Even then, most are mature enough to move on to something else for the time being. As for being fat and sweaty... everyone there to work out is going to sweat. Those that aren't are ther efor social time... not working out.

The fact is that a gym has better equipment and likely knowledgeable people that can help you reach your goal. FWIW, what you do in the gym almost doesn't matter.

You should have looked into the wireless "sensor" bars. They've been out for at least a year or two, and those of us with projectors were pulling all kinds of hacks to make one before a properly manufactured solution was available. The manufactured bars are a little larger/stronger and better for a larger room.

If you don't enjoy the kind of games that are out for the Wii, however, I can't help you.

My projector has a video cable going to the front of the room, so that my wii (and everything else, via switchbox) is near the sensor bar and sound system. My speakers are stuck to the wall either side of the image with removable stick things (sub on the floor), and the sensor bar is on a pair of picture hooks.

Works really nicely. Nothing like house of the dead with lifesize zombies.:)

The people I've seen complain about their Wii don't spend money on games and accessories, then wonder why they don't enjoy it. Buy 4 remotes, 4 wheels, 4 nunchuks, get a decent library of games (catering to various tastes/ages), and you'll see that people will actually PLAY it when they come over. That's the way to get your money's worth out of the console. Not "Oh, the freebie games ere fun, and I rented a couple others, and bought one or two that sucked, so the console is a piece of crap!"

And I still won't have any games for it besides Wii Sports. When you say "you have to buy the additions and accessories to enjoy the Wii" That starts to get pretty damn expensive for this generation's "budget console".

Play Zelda. I know it may seem silly at the start, but don't judge them by that. Zelda 64 and later all seem to have pretty amazing "journeys" to them, if you play for a while. From what I've heard of people playing older Zeldas, the experience is much the same. Easily some of the best games I've ever played, out of a small selection that I even liked.

I have Zelda - just haven't had much time to play it (so many games, so little time:-) Got stuck with the horse in the corral - can't jump the fence, and I REALLy hate how the manuals are all fine print and low contrast. Sure, it helps deter piracy, but they're not really deterring the pirates/modders so much as penalizing their paying customers.

Well, maybe I'll just scan them in and blow them up to readable size/contrast.

Second the Pinball game and raise you Wii Active. Williams Pinball HoF is the first pinball game to displace 3D Ultra Pinball Thrillride on my playlist. If they come out with 2 or 3 more of these I will line up to get them.

As you suggest, we stocked up on games and controls and it got the whole family using it. I've settled on Pinball (which doesn't have to be noisy...adjust your TV/monitor volume to taste), and my wife loves Wii Active. It goes a lot further than Wii Fit (which started off great but

Two other games that are sitting on my shelf waiting for free time to try out are Naked Brothers Band and American Idol (no, I have NEVER watched American Idol in my life - I bought it so that when others come over, they will see the familiar name and perhaps try it). As you say, it's an investment in fun for the group, not just one person at a time. And like you, if they release more pinball games, I'm in line.

AMF Bowling sucks the oil off a bowling ball. I got the game as I hoped it would be superior to the Sports bowling, but it wasn't. Not any mini-games like the strike practice with lots of pins. Also takes forever to just get to the bowling action, and the replays are terrible. I just want to see a close-up replay of my line so I know how to adjust my next shot- just like real bowling. (Some alleys have a fixed replay camera; and real life is always more detailed.)

Perhaps the new remote sensor could help- anyone know if it helps old games or do games have to be programmed for the enhanced sensor?

It won't do a thing for old games. When you load a game, you're also loading the game's operating system (which runs under the consoles' monitor program). That's why games can't be patched - at least not with the current console. Perhaps the WII2 will allow for loading the whole game image into memory at one time and patching it on the fly with updates off the net...

You are forgetting one important industry: flash games. Anyone can make a flash game and these don't need to be at the cutting edge of technology. Honestly, I didn't even buy a PS3, Xbox360 or Wii. When I want to play a game, I log on to Kongregate or a similar website and simply play. And it's free.

Have you checked out WiiWare titles? There are some good ones on there and they're all (I think) $10 or less. Here's a few that might be worth researching if you want to get more play time out of the Wii.

LostWinds - A puzzle platformer which uses the nunchuck to move your character while the pointer controls the wind, used in various ways to fling objects, enemies, your character, etc. to solve the puzzles.

Bit Trip series (Beats / Core) - Rhythm games with an old-school feel. The first one, Beats, is lik

"Meanwhile, Sony is feeling the pain as well; the company sold 500,000 fewer PS3 consoles than in the previous quarter, and PSP sales saw an even bigger drop."

500,000 units is just a number; losing a sandwich is less of a tragedy if you had two of them to begin with. FTFA:

"Sony did release console sales numbers for the period, which also painted a bleak picture. Quarterly worldwide PlayStation 3 sales dropped from 1.6 million units in the first quarter of the past fiscal year to 1.1 million units in the most recent fiscal quarter, while PSP sales plummeted from 3.7 million units to just 1.3 million units. VAIO sales and profitability were also down, though Sony did not offer specific figures."

So selling 500,000 fewer units this quarter in this context means that Sony has sold approximately 30% fewer units than last quarter.

That could still spell catastrophe if they used commercial paper (bonds) to help ramp up production of the units that were manufactured thus far.

Let's say you're a self-employed box builder. You sell a box configuration that attracts a new company who wants to outfit all their desktops with your new whizbang baby ITX thin client PCs. Company calls you up and wants 500 of these bad boys.

To get all the parts for an order this large, you live on the float. On your credit card. You run up your MasterCard

My point was mostly editorial, that putting $scary_big_number; in a summary doesn't provide any information beyond making the reader think, "Huh. That's a scary big number." To use a familiar number, if McDonald's served 500,000 fewer people today than yesterday it would look like a point of concern if nobody told you that McDonald's serves 47,000,000 people a day on average.

We're scared of very, very big numbers because we're not trained to comprehend them - we're never going to have to make change for a million dollar bill, so who cares what 100,000,000 pennies looks like.

I've become so desensitized that numbers under a million register only as "small change" in a business context (in a govt context add another three zeroes)... A million is a lot for an individual but nothing for a multinational megacorp.

If a client wants 500 widgets, then you make them enter into a contract for 500 widgets. If your new whizbang baby ITX thin client PCs are a significant portion of your annual revenue, you make em pay for the whole order prior to production and you slap a client logo on em as a bonus, so you can claim these are custom builds and an order for 500 can't be reduced since you can't resell them. If necessary, require custom, non-refundable orders on orders of 1+.

Between installing malware on it's customers' machines, using draconian DRM, constantly trying to shove proprietary crap down our throat, and the recent denial of fair use by it's customers despite using fair usage as an argument to defend against Universal Studios' lawsuit against them, I have decided that Sony can go @#$% itself. I will go out of my way to avoid doing any business with them. I urge everybody else to do the same.

I have not encountered any malware or draconian DRM being installed on my PS3.

All PS3 games must be signed by Sony, or they won't be allowed to use the RSX chip and half the console's RAM. And I've read that it's harder to get approved for a PS3 game on Sony's PSN than for an iPod Touch game on Apple's App Store. How is that not "draconian DRM" for hobbyist developers and small businesses?

I think they should relax the restrictions somewhat on the PSN. As someone who has all of the current-gen consoles and bought both hard copies and games off each console's virtual store, I have to say that Sony's is the most lacking for content. Unfortunately, the XBox with his shovelware marketplace and "community games" is just utter crap. 99% of the stuff that shows up on there is just outright garbage, and really shouldn't be on there (IE: There's one "Community Game" that amounts to clicking the A butt

There's one "Community Game" that amounts to clicking the A button several times to "win" it

I'd bet it was called Second Half of Xenogears.

I honestly think the Wii has the best marketplace. It might actually be even more restricted than the PSN or XBL, but the huge catalog of 80's/90's console games as well as very select newer games is nice.

In your opinion, for which platform should a small business develop a (substantial) multiplayer casual game?

All PC games that use the "Games for Windows" or "Games for Windows Live" must be signed by Microsoft.

But unlike games for Xbox 360, Wii, and PLAYSTATION 3, games for PC need not use the "Games for Windows" logo; there is a freely licensed alternative logo that reads "PC DVD-ROM SOFTWARE".

From the consumers point of view there is no malware or draconian DRM.

I would argue that the very concept of a "consumer", meaning one who just consumes and doesn't interact, itself arises from DRM and other aspects of copyright. With a few notable exceptions such as RPG Maker 2 for PlayStation 2, console games are not moddable, which forces players to be consumers.

I would argue that the very concept of a "consumer", meaning one who just consumes and doesn't interact, itself arises from DRM and other aspects of copyright. With a few notable exceptions such as RPG Maker 2 for PlayStation 2, console games are not moddable, which forces players to be consumers.

Well yes, that is the point. If you want to be able to mod a game or even make your own level you buy the PC version of the game. That has been the rule for who knows how long. It is stupid to assume you would be able to mod a game on a console because no one expects to be able to.

When people talk about DRM it is normaly in respect to not being able to resell games or other media (DRM iTunes music, PC games that require activation online like Spore or Call of Duty).

If you are talking about split screen multiplayer then again, you should not expect that from the PC version. Console games having split screen multiplayer and PC games not having it has also been the rule for who knows how long.

Again:If you want to mod and make your own levels: Get the PC version.

If you want to play split screen multiplayer then get the console version.

These are the standards that have been around for as long as I have been playing games. Would it be nice for them to change? Yes. Do I expe

As of right now you cant. Like I said, it would be nice for the standards/traditions/rules-of-thumb to change but I dont expect them to. At least not this gen, no clue what the next gen will bring.

On that note I know of a game that does not follow these standards: LittleBigPlanet. It would be nice if this is the starter of a new trend in multiplayer and user-generated content, however it currently is one of a kind.

You're right: it also makes PSP and PS2. The article on GameSpot [gamespot.com] is mostly about Sony Computer Entertainment, the division that makes PlayStation products, not Sony Music or Sony Pictures.

Let me spell this out for you. The article was about a division of Sony taking a financial hit. I want ALL of Sony to fail, and I enumerated some of the reasons why. I understand you are might be some kind of fanboy of mass market console crap games; particularly Sony's. Good for you. But supporting Sony's consoles makes the parent company money, and, again, I want that parent company to fail, and I think all people should. ANY company that installs malware on MY machine will lose my business for life. Peri

I understand you are might be some kind of fanboy of mass market console crap games; particularly Sony's.

I am not a fan of Sony consoles. I do not own a PLAYSTATION 3, and I bought my PSP and games used so that Sony wouldn't get my money. I was just pointing out that Sony's DRM in video game consoles wasn't more draconian than Nintendo's DRM in video game consoles or Microsoft's DRM in video game consoles. This means that if I want to avoid DRM in video games, I need to avoid all the consoles. Is this correct?

I have not encountered any malware or draconian DRM being installed on my PS3.

This was your original reply to my comment. I cannot reconcile your most recent post with this statement, especially as a reply to what I had written. I interpreted it (and for the most part still do) as a smart ass comment that was attempting to undermine and / or overshadow the points I made in my post... probably looking for the 'funny' mod.

To respond to your recent statement however, I would say that if you want to avoid substandard, overpriced, and proprietary hardware that is not upgradeable and leave

I read it just fine. IT'S STILL SONY!!!!!!!!! I don't care if it's a different business division. It's still the same company. The parent company still makes the profits, and I want the WHOLE company to fail. And I REALLY don't care about mass marketed crap console games in general. First person shooters are WAAAAAY overrated anyway. And you can only repackage them so much. I got bored with them after UT. Was pretty burnt on them before that. It was only a matter of time before people woke up and saw that t

Sony Corporation (NYSE: SONY) announced it was ceasing all operations today, due to negative feedback from Slashdot user "P0ltergeist333." "It's a tough market," said Sony chief executive Howard Stringer. "We as a company have lost our way. We thank P0ltergeist333 for making us aware of that." Sony is currently liquidating its assets, and all operations will cease as of Q4 09. "His use of capital letters and exclamation points really convinced us to close us shop,"

It was cathartic to me, and maybe I got a few people thinking about their responsibilities as a consumer, made them aware of a companies malfeasance, and empowered them to vote with their money. What did you accomplish?

And fyi, I started posting on BBS's in 1983 with a HP9875 computer with a HP IL to RS 232 interface connected to a 9 baud modem. We didn't have italics or formatting then. That is where I got my style. I REALLY couldn't give a fuck whether or not people prefer italics to caps, so blow me.

Additional context. Sony announced a newer, cooler PSP, but you can't buy it yet. They spent a buttload of money on development, which they haven't had a chance to recoup yet, and PSP sales are artificially low now that everybody knows to wait for the new one coming out in two months. This is probably the biggest source of their losses.

Also, now that they said this, can we finally lose the "Sony loses $x00 on every PS3 sold" crap? Clearly they're cashflow positive on the hardware now.

...I still think Sony is working on a new PS3 model with far more integrated chipsets to cut the cost even further.

With more integrated chipsets, the circuit board production cost goes down dramatically, and if properly engineered it may even run cooler than the original. This could result in a PS3 Slimline like what Sony did with the PlayStation 2 hardware redesign.

But is that going to get us a price drop? When the PS3 first dropped, everyone justified the price of the console because Blu-Ray players were just as expensive, if not more so. Well, I'm seeing hundred dollar Blu-Ray players now, but the PS3 is as expensive as it ever was.

That's because Sony is still using the original PlayStation 3 design, which is proving to be pretty expensive to build.

The rumored PS3 Slimline model will likely be far less expensive to build, and may likely sport the same 1.8" 120 GB hard drive used on the current Apple iPod classic portable media player. I haven't heard when will Sony offer such a new machine, especially since the news from Chinese/Taiwanese assemblers and component manufacturers have not mentioned Sony placing any orders for the parts f

However, given that Chinese/Taiwanese companies will be involved in producing this "new" PlayStation 3, I've heard NOTHING from the assemblers or component manufacturers about Sony ordering parts or setting up assembly lines for the new model. In contrast, we know that Apple does have a tablet-like device on-tap because of several reports about Apple ordering circa 10" LCD panels for such a device.

If this new PS3 does exist, I expect it to use the same 1.8" 120 GB drive used on the current Apple iPod classi

All Japanese companies are seeing sales slowdowns. The Yen is strong against the dollar, which means costs for Japanese companies are higher, which means that they can't reduce prices to the extent their non-Japanese counterparts can. This, coupled with a huge recession which is already causing consumers to belt tighten leads to huge sales decreases. In other words, this has little or nothing to do with the games industry in particular.

No... quirk of/. I submitted the comment then returned to look at my spelling (which of course I can't fix, but it's a habit)... and since it wasn't there I figured the software "ate it". So like any respectable person who sees something go into a black hole, I re-ran my transaction.;o)